Tag: indie pop

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Develour Shares Slow-Burning and Yearning “Dealer d’Amour”

The mysterious and mischievous French artist Develour emerged into the Francophone indie pop scene with the release of “La Part des Agnes,” which saw him quickly establishing a sound that he playfully dubbed “French touch disco,” a sound that draws from and features elements of chanson, soul, funk, disco and pop.

“La Part des Agnes” and the French artist’s second single “Un Matin,” which I described as a breezy and summery bop built around a swaggering and infectious 80s-inspired groove, appeared on his debut EP, 2023’s Vert Galant.

Develour’s latest single “Dealer d’Amour” is a slow-burning, Quiet Storm-meets-sophistipop-like ballad anchored around an atmospheric yet sultry groove, bursts of glistening synths reminiscent of Hall & Oates “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” The song’s production and arrangement serves as a dreamy and lush bed for the mysterious French artist’s yearning, achingly plaintive cooing.

Thematically, the song questions our unhealthy relationships with dating apps, while openly discussing the wild mix of addiction, hope, disillusionment and loneliness they inspire. And yet, we keep on swiping because what else is there to do?

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Music 4 Diana Shares Heartfelt Ballad “Mil Años”

Diana Jiminez is a Colombian-American, New Jersey-based singer/songwriter and creative mastermind behind the emerging recording project Music 4 Diana. Jiminez’s latest Music4Diana single “Mil Años” is a slow-burning ballad that showcases Jiminez’s gorgeous vocal and deeply heartfelt lyrics.

The emerging New Jersey-based artist explains that the song was written to pay tribute to her father. And as a result, it captures a sense of gratitude while being anchored around a message about love, legacy and the eternal bond between a daughter and her father.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: N3WYRKLA Shares Sultry “Plastic Cup”

N3WYRKLA is a rising pop artist, who will supporting FERG on his upcoming The Darold Tour. Her latest single “Plastic Cup” is the lead single from her highly-anticipated full-length debut. Sonically, the track is anchored around a sleek and sultry production featuring atmospheric synths, skittering tweeter and woofer rattling trap-like thump and buzzing bass synths serving as a lush bed for the rising artist’s yearning delivery — before closing out with a classic R&B piano coda.

The rising pop artist explains that “Plastic Cup” captures the late-night temptation of reaching out to that someone — maybe even someone you really shouldn’t reach out to — after a few too many drinks. But you have needs and those needs are winning out over your common sense. Hey, we’ve all been there at some point.

Fittingly, the accompanying video is as sultry and as sensual as the song.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New VIdeo: bat zoo Shares Haunting “Frozen Milk”

bat zoo is a rising American-born, Berlin-based singer/songwriter and producer, who has developed a reputation for boundless creativity — and for genre-agnostic work.

As a child, the rising artist and producer was immersed in a melting pot of musical influences, as a result of his father’s eclectic record collection. He grew up listening to soul, R&B, hip-hop and much more — and it opened his young years to kaleidoscope of sounds and styles, which helped informed his genre-blurring sound and approach.

He also brings his artistic vision to life by seamlessly blending his work with dynamic visuals. Embracing authentic and innovation, the American-born, Berlin-based artist continues to push boundaries as a jack-of-all-trades creative director of his solo recording project, a culmination of many years of trial and error. He’s extremely busy: while developing his own sound as a solo artist, he’s also a part of the acclaimed Berlin-based vocal ensemble A Song For You and one-half of R&B duo GOLDA.

bat zoo’s forthcoming EP, The Upward Bird is slated for a July 22, 2025 release through Lekker Collective. The EP’s latest single, the hauntingly minimalist, Nick Hakim-like “Frozen Milk” features the Berlin-based artist accompanying himself on strummed acoustic guitar paired with swirling electronics serving as a atmospheric bed for his achingly tender falsetto singing lyrics that touch upon themes of chaos, brief and the desperate search for balance amidst self-destruction and connection.

The bat zoo-directed and edited video for “Frozen Milk” is a stark contrast with the haunting minimalist of the song, with the visual being a whirlwind of raw emotion and vivid imagery, rooted in flashes of personal, archival footage featuring the artist and his friends not just partying, but escaping their grief, numbing themselves with fleeting, often self-destructive thrills that quickly spiral out of control. What begins as fun, turns into a desperate escape from harsh, brutal reality. But there’s also moments of love, affection and connection between lovers and friends. And those moments are often the most deeply moving, profound moments of our lives.

The song and the video reminds the viewer that while life can be brutal, harsh and unforgivingly cruel, life is most often about small but mighty measures of love, small joys and pleasures, the sweet and funny moments with our dearest ones. Without those things life would be too difficult to keep on.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Bucharest’s Alessiah Shares Sultry “Made You Cry”

Alessiah is a young, emerging and remarkably prolific Bucharest-based artist, who quickly established a sound that blends elements of pop, dance pop and electronica while showcasing a songwriter, who has a singular focus on writing songs that are rooted in the raw emotions and unvarnished honesty of a young woman at the beginning of her life’s journey.

Using art to overcome her own shyness, she is determine to create music full of positivity and to become a role model that girls — and young women — can be inspired by.

The Romanian-born and-based artist’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, Obscentra is slated for an August 28, 2025 release. The album’s first single “Made You Cry” pairs Alessiah’s sultry vocal delivery with an uneasy and haunting production.

The song’s lyrics blur the line between devotion, humiliation and control, revealing a songwriter, who’s not only remarkably self-assured and mature beyond her relative youth, but who also is a astute observer of human nature. The song’s narrator points out that love is often a confusing and beguiling push and pull mix of longing, lust and humiliation with a seemingly lived-in fashion. “This song captures the emotions we don’t always want to admit to. It’s about love, but not in the way we usually define it,” the emerging Romanian artist explains.

The accompanying video for “Made You Cry” continues a run of visuals filmed in diverse, exotic and often far-flung locations, including Japan, Zanzibar, Nigeria, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hong Kong and even Dubai. And from the new video, we’re catching a budding, global pop star in the making.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Lovelines Shares Slow-Burning “Slow High”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve spilled quite a bit of virtual ink on The Lovelines. The duo, which is currently split between Berlin and  Orlando, released material from their forthcoming full-length debut single-by-single. 

The duo’s latest single “Slow High” is a slow-burning ballad that to my ears is one-part Still Corners, one-part lullaby, one part-Amy Winehouse soul, and a subtle Sgt. Pepper nod that serves as a lush bed for Tessa D’s soulful croon.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Alaska Blue Share A Shimmering Ode to Loneliness”

Earlier this year, Italian indie duo Alaska Blue — singer/songwriter Elisabeta Giordano and musician Davide Cast — released “Cigarette,” a subtly Bossa nova-like take on neo-soul that evokes late night/early morning solitary walks in an industrial city that has seen much better days, reminiscing over what once was and may never come back; and of dreaming of escaping your dreary surroundings for something different — or for something seemingly better.

The duo explain that the song explores themes of destiny, the weight of nostalgia and the struggle of working-class folks and life on the city’s edge. “The lyrics paint a personal vision of concrete-paneled buildings in the outskirts of a port city,” they say. The “song will resonate with anyone, who’s ever felt the weight of unspoken words and the quiet beauty of a lonely night.”

The duo’s latest single of 2025, “Starless” is a slow-burning and soulful bit of dream pop that brings a synthesis of Still Corners, Geowulf and Amy Winehouse to mind while continuing to showcase their unerring knack for paring catchy hooks with earnest and deeply introspective lyricism.

The duo explain that “‘Starless’ highlights that while we are in the rush to chase deadlines, grab a meal before the store closes, or catch the last train, so many lives are left unseen. This track captures the aching loneliness of those at the edges. . . .”